Tier 2 — strong

N-Acetylcysteine in the treatment of pediatric trichotillomania: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled add-on trial

Michael H Bloch, Kaitlyn E Panza, Jon E Grant, Christopher Pittenger, James F Leckman
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2013 52(3):231-240

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 23452680
PubMed Central
PMC3745012
DOI
10.1016/j.jaac.2012.12.020
Funding
Acknowledged support included the Trichotillomania Learning Center and NIH/NIMH training and research grants, including K23MH091240, T32MH018268-26, R25MH077823, K08MH081190, and UL1RR024139.
Competing interests
Several investigators disclosed research/grant support or other professional relationships; Kaitlyn Panza reported no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts. See the full publication for the complete author-by-author disclosure.

Study snapshot

DesignRandomized double-blind placebo-controlled add-on trial
ModelHuman
Sample39 children and adolescents aged 8-17
InterventionNAC versus placebo
Duration12 weeks
EndpointsHair-pulling severity; Clinical response; Anxiety and depression

What the study showed, in plain terms

2013 evidence record examining NAC in trichotillomania.

Key findings

No significant benefit of NAC over placebo on primary or secondary outcomes; 25% versus 21% were rated responders.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Small pediatric trial; results contrast with the positive adult trial and support not extrapolating adult efficacy to children.

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology